Facebook’s Phone Is Here!

Facebook’s (NASDAQ:FB) recently rumored phone has already been launched, but it’s not likely to make the same waves that Google made when it came out with a phone. And that’s because Facebook’s phone is purely software, not hardware. Let’s explain…

The expectations

For the past few months word has been going around about a mythical Facebook Phone — and no, it wasn’t in regard to the HTC Status. As it turns out, the rumors weren’t unfounded. News Thursday morning pointed to the release of what could be considered a Facebook phone, but rather than a physical, tangible phone, it’s actually a software feature.

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While some may have expected a device they could hold in their hands, particularly a smartphone, analysts and Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg himself said making hardware didn’t really fit with Facebook’s business model. Instead, Facebook stuck with what it already knows: software.

The reality

A while back, Facebook made some arrangements with Skype to offer a video chat feature within the browser-based Facebook messaging system. Now, Facebook has made an arrangement with Orange, which has its own IP-based calling and messaging app, to set up an Internet-based calling feature within the Facebook Messenger app for iOS and Android that allows users to call phones over Wi-Fi…